Side bearing for railway cars



C. l5, 1935. Q DE L RICE SIDE BEARING FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed April 30,1954- 3 Sheets-Sheet l CdzlesDeLosRz'cc C. DE L. RICE SIDE BEARING FORRAILWAY CARS Filed April 30, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 e n vf L f J x, Q-.,w.,.,./ I- www w --.,.,1-l i L ----1 #n \H .,HX m mm m MM w z m u@Wwf V .....H\\\\\ z, NQ E? n Q SMQ/Wto@ C/zar'ZesDeLo-SR ce @et E5,1935. c. DE l.. RICE SIDE BEARING FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed April 30, 19343 Sheecfs-Sheerl 3 Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE2,017,259 SIDE BEARING FOR YRAILWAY CARS Charles De Los Rice, WestHartford, Conn. Application April 30, 1934, Serial No. 723,025

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in side bearings,

such as are used for supporting the pon a truck to which the d, and hasas its object ass described which will movements between the truck andthe car body without imposing wear or undue strain upon the sidebearing.

A further object resides in side bearing of the character the provisionof a described which will tantially frictionless elative to the truck,

the construction and arrangement being such that the wearing of a rollis avoided, readily adjust t surfaces upon the bearing the flanges ofthe car wheels may themselves against the rails with adding to the lifeof the car wheels and rails, and the riding qualities of the car body aA still further objec of a side bearing of the char is simple andeconomical t semble, which is of it is not likely to get out of broken,and which may b lubricated condition.

Other objects will out more in part pointed The invention accor tures ofconstruction, and arrangement of par fied in the construction the scopeof the application on an enlarged seal tobetter illustrate vation andpartly in section,

the body and the construction thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 4

ing bosses and Referring to the drawings in re improved.

t resides in the provision acter described which o manufacture andasrugged construction so that order and become e maintained in proper bein part obvious and in detail hereinafter. dingly consists in thefeacombination of elements ts which will be exemplihereinafter set forthand of which will be ed claims.

drawings, wherein I have one embodiment t invention may take:

vational view of a fragmentary ody and one of its associated e device ofthe invention as truck f my improved side bearing my improved sidebearing, a portion thereof being broken away to better illustrate is atransverse the construction thereof;

vertical sectional view on the three supportdetail, the numeral ployed.Referring l0 indicates generally one of the bolster members of a truckframe. The truck frame may be supported in any suitable manner by thewheeled axles. By way of illustration only, I have shown one type ofspring suspension which may be ernf5 to Fig. 1, l2 designates one of thewheels and I4 the axle to which the wheel is secured. Upon the end ofthe axle is a journal box I5. A spring i8 is supported at its centralportion upon each of its ends flexibly connected by means of a link 20to a respective hook bracket 22 secured tothe bolster member l0. It willbe understood that the car body is pivotally connected to the truck inany suitable manner so as car to pass around curves. This pivotalconnection, so far as the present invention is concerned, may take anysuitable form or type. I have shown for illustrative purposes, more orless diagrammatically, a pivot pin 25 which depends from the 20 bottomof the car body 9 and which has a vertical bearing on the truck frame,the bearing not being illustrated. This pivotal connection may have theconstruction and arrangement disclosed in my copending applicationSerial Number 25 707,203, filed January 18th, 1934. The side bearingsare suitably positioned with respect to the pivot pin 25, the positionand number of the bearings depending upon requirements. Where the trucksupports the end of only one car, there 30 may be two side bearingsdisposed to opposite sides of the pivotal connection between the car andthe truck, and where the adjacent ends of two cars are pivotallysupported upon a single truck, there may be provided four side bearingsupon the truck, two for each car end, as disclosed in my copendingapplication Serial Number 707,200, filed January 18th, 1934. In anyevent, the arrangement is such that the car body may pivot 40 withrespect to the truck and the pivotal connection between the car body andtruck will closely controler limit vibratory sidevvise motion of the carbody.

In accordance with closure of the present invention, my improved sidebearing comprises four main elements, namely, a track member 42 securedto the underside of a car body, a cradle support secured to the truckframe, a roll cradle mounted in said support for oscillatory movementabout a horizontal axis eX- tending generally in the direction of thelength of said track member, and a roll lill supported in said cradlefor rotary or turning movement about an axis disposed at right angles tothe V the top of the journal box, and has 1,0)

to permit the 15f the present illustrative dis- 45V- axis about whichsaid cradle is adapted to os-V cillate.

The track member G2 has on its underside a groove or trackway |31 whichis preferably curved in the direction of its length about the axis aboutWhich the truck is adapted to pivot, namely, about the axis of the pivotpin 25. This groove or trackway is transversely curved, as shown mostclearly in Figs. 3 and 4. The track member may be secured to the carinany suitable way. I have shown a pair of transversely disposed I-beams21 and 28 on the underside of the car frame, and riveted, or otherwisesuitably connected, to the underside of these beams is an anchor plate30. A

The top surface of the track member engages against the bottom of thisanchor plate. The track member is secured in place by screws |30 whichextend through reinforcing members |32 and the anchor plate 38. Thereinforcing members, which are on the top of the plate 30, are in theform of hollow square bars within which are cylindrical bushing orspacing members |34, one surrounding the stem of each bolt.

Referring now to the cradle support, the same has a body member 52 and abearing cap member 5S at each end of the body member. The` body membermay be in the form of an elongated rectangular block having a cavitybetween its ends for accommodating the lower portions of the cradle andthe roll carried thereby. The cap members 53 are secured in place byscrews 58. Located within the openings at the opposite ends of thecradle support are roller bearing units, each of which may comprise anouter ring 48, an inner ring 82, and roller bearings 85 interposedbetween the rings. The bottom surface of the cavity within the cradlesupport slopes to-V wards a drain opening 68 through which moisture andother foreign material may drain from the interior of the support.

The cradle supportl is mounted upon a'plate 6| which rests upon and issecured to the holsters or beams at the opposite sides of the truckframe. In the present illustrated disclosure, the cradle support ismounted above, and extends generallyV longitudinally of, the beam orbolster |0, this arrangement being shown by way of illustration only. Inorder to support the cradle on and se -cure it to the truck framewithout warping the structure, the following arrangement is provided,reference being had to Fig. r5. The cradlesupport has, on its bottom andat one end, two supporting bosses 83 disposed at like site sides of themedial longitudinal line of the support, and the support has, at itsother end, a medially positioned boss 64. These bosses give athree-bearing point support upon the truck frame. Four bolts 55, onelocated adjacent each corner of'the cradle support, are provided forsecuring the cradle support in place. Two of these bolts extend throughthe respective bosses 53. The bolts at the other end are disposed onopposite sides of the medial boss Sli. These bolts eX'- tend throughsuitable openings in the bearing--y screwed up by handand then Vthe nutsareV clamped against turning movement relative to the bolts.v Y YReferring now to the-cradle, the same comprises generally a rectangularhollow body portion Y' distances to oppo v to past the center having endwalls 14 and 15 and side Walls 11 and 18. Extending from the end wallsare aligned trunnions and 8| which are positioned within the inner racerings 82 of the roller bearing units carried on the ends of the cradlesupport. 'I'hus it will be seen that the cradle support is mounted foroscillation about an axis which extends generally in the direction ofthe length of the track member 42, this axis, for convenience andterminology in claiming, being referred to as the longitudinal axis.

In the present instance, the outer end of the journal bearings in thecradle support are closed by circular plates 88 secured in place byscrews 89. The outer race or ring 48 is within two or three-thousandthsof an inch of fitting snugly between the plate 88 and the end wall ofthe cradle. The inner race terminates somewhat short of the plate 88.Disposed against the end wall of the cradle and positioned between theinner and outer races is a hardened washer 98, Each of the trunnions 80and 8| terminate short of the plates 88, thus leaving a cylindricalchamber, as indicated at 92. Ilhis chamber is used as a reservoir inwhich to store a supply of grease which may ilo-w to the rollers throughthe space 94 provided between the plate 88 and the adjacent end of theinner race 82. As the opposite ends of the outerrace d8 are closelyadjacent to the plate 88 and the end wall of the carrier, the greasewill practically clog the journal at these points against taking in anygrit.

Referring non7 to the main bearing roll 40, the same is preferably inthe general nature of a sphere, two opposite sides of which have beenfaced oi along parallel planes. However, the radius of transversecurvature of the peripheral surface of the roll is materially less thanthe radius of the roll'and is also less than the radius of transversecurvature ofthe trackway |31, and the radius of transverse curvature ofthe trackway is less than the radius of the roll, all for a purposehereinafter described more in detail. In Fig. 4, the radius of the rollis indicatedV by the radius line 95, the radius of transverse curvatureof the roll by the radius line 98, and the radius of transversecurvature of the trackway by the radius line 91.

The roll 40 is rotatably supported within the boxlike portion of thecradle or shaft |82 and tapered roller bearing units |01 and |88. Thebearing pin has its ends located in bushings |88 and IGI located inaligned openings in the side walls 11 and 18 of the cradle. The axis ofthis shaft is disposed generally at right angles to the axis ofoscillation of the cradle and in the plane above the latter axis. In thedrawings, the vaxis of the cradle is indicated as at a-a and thetransverse axis of rotation of the roller at `b-,-b.

by a bearing pin 50 60 Circular side plates H8, are secured to thesidewalls 11 and 18 of the cradle by means of screws H3, and cover theends of the pin |02 Aso as to prevent the latter from driftinglongitudinally. Dowel pins, as indicated at 5, extend through each ofthese plates and into the pin |02 to restrain the pin from'rotationrelative to the cradle. The pin' |02 is provided with an oil groove |1extending from one end of the pin ||9 issecured to the plate ||0 incommunication withV the groove 1 so that lubricant may be supplied tothe tapered roller bearings |01 and |08.k At the opposite ends of thetapered bearing uni-ts -on which the roll Yis mounted are elastic ofthepin. A grease fitting 70'- grease retaining plates, indicated at |40 andIM, which hug the opposite sides of the roll 4|). These plates retainthe lubricant within the -roll and exclude foreign material from thetapered bearings.

Secured to the top of the cradle, as by means of screws |22 and bindingstrips |23, is a heavy layer or sheet of leather |20. The portion ofthis sheet immediately surrounding the top of the roll it is, asindicated at |26, cut out to permit the roll to project therethrough andengage the track member d2. Sewed, or otherwise secured, to the leathersheet at either side of theroll, is a piece of felt |28, portions ofwhich rest upon and wipe the periphery of the roll adjacent the topcenter of the roll. These pieces of felt may be oiled with reasonablefrequency in order to keep the roll at its area of contact with thetrack member 42 in lubricated condition. These felt members also serveas wipers.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it will be understood that, as the truck and carbody pivot relative to one another about the pivot pin 25, as would bethe case when the car is going around a curve, for example, the trackmember 42 will ride longitudinally on the roll and, as this roll canturn about a transverse axis, there is substantially no friction betweenthe roll and the track member during this movement. While the pivotbetween the truck and car body may be such as to substantially controlrelative vibrational movement sidewise between the car and truck, suchmovement cannot be entirelyA obviated. With my improved arrangement,such movement may be accommodated, while, at the same time, wear uponthe parts of the side bearing, and particularly the roll, is practicallyeliminated. Upon sidewise relative movement between the truck and thecar body, the cradle will oscillate about its axis, thus permitting theupper portion of the roll to swing sidewise, and, during such movement,the track member may roll sidewise on the periphery of the roll and, asthis is a rolling action as distinguished from a sliding one, wearbetween these parts is eliminated. As the roll is journalled on thetapered bearings and the cradle is mounted for oscillation at its endsin bearing units, the several movements are substantially frictionless.With my improved arrangement, the wheel flanges may more readilyaccommodate themselves to the rails, shocks and jars are absorbed, andthe riding qualities of the car improved. As previously pointed out, theoscillating center for transverse action of the roll, that is to say,the center a-a about which the cradle oscillates, is below the center oftransverse curvature of the trackway i3? in which the roll tracks, andthe distance between these centers is suiciently great so as to insurethat the main roll will maintain contact substantially with the centralportion of the trackway, as otherwise the cradle would drift sidewaysuntil it found lodgment at one side or the other and thereby fail toproperly function. Also, as pointed out, the radius of transversecurvature of the roll is less than the radius of transverse curvature ofthe trackway, and the oscillating centerof the cradle is below thecenter of rotation of the roll, relations which are of advantage in thatthey assist in maintaining the roll in en- 5 gagement with thelongitudinally center portion of the trackway and permit of a rollingaction between the trackway and roll upon crosswise oscillation of thecradle and roll.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely diierent embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawl5ings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. A side bearing for railway cars comprising, a track member having atransversely curved trackway, a cradle mounted for oscillating movementabout a longitudinal axis generally parallel to the length of saidtrackway, and a roll journaled in said cradle on an axis transverse tosaid first mentioned axis, said roll having its periphery transverselycurved, and the radius of transverse curvature -of said trackway beingless than the distance between said longitudinal axis and said trackway.

2. A side bearing for railway cars comprising,

a track member having a transversely curved trackway, a support belowand extending generally parallel to said trackway, and a roll carried bysaid support for crosswise oscillating movement about a longitudinalaxis and for rotation about a transverse axis, said roll having itsperiphery transversely curved, the radius of transverse curvature ofsaid roll being less than that of said trackway and less than the radiusof said roll, and said longitudinal axis being lower than saidtransverse axis.

3. A side bearing for supporting a car body upon a truck comprising, atrack member having a transversely curved groove therein, a cradlesupport, a cradle supported by said cradle support for oscillation withrespect thereto about an axis extending longitudinally thereof, and aroll carried by said cradle for rotation about an axis transverse tosaid above mentioned axis, the peripheral surface of said roll having atransverse curvature the radius of which is smaller than the radius oftransverse curvature of said groove, and the axis of oscillation beingspaced from said groove a distance greater than the radius of said rollso that said roll will roll across said groove when tilted about saidfirst mentioned axis by movement of said car body transversely of saidcar truck.

CHARLES DE LOS RICE.

